Course Description: This course provides an introduction to assessment of infants, toddlers, preschoolers and young elementary age children who have disabilities. Family context, strengths, needs, and priorities as well as cultural considerations across learning environments will be integrated throughout the course. Assessment procedures for screening, diagnosis, program planning: i.e., curriculum development, instructional planning and strategies, and evaluation will be reviewed and practiced. Both quantitative and qualitative assessment procedures will be reviewed, analyzed and summarized. As such, students will research and evaluate various assessment protocol across assessment types, practice using various instruments and assessment tools (i.e., observational protocol, authentic assessment, norm referenced and criterion referenced), and link assessment outcomes to curriculum and instructional planning for individual children and their families across environmental contexts (e.g., home setting, cultural attributes, group settings). To demonstrate knowledge and practical application students will compile a portfolio across ages of both formal and informal assessment protocol, demonstrating the link between assessment and curriculum, the involvement of families, environmental contexts, and cultural attributes. Course discussion and periodic quizzes will also be used to guide the evaluation of student outcomes.

Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Define several key theoretical approaches to child development and learning and discuss the impact of those positions on assessment outcomes for young children and their families.

2. Define and use both informal and formal assessment protocol that foster an ecological approach to assessment. 

3. Identify, evaluate, and use assessment protocol for children and their families ages birth to age 8 for screening, diagnosis, program planning, and evaluation across multiple contexts (i.e., home, center-based programs, classroom, play situations, other naturalistic settings and in preparation for transition to new environments.

4. Describe the history and federal laws that affect assessment procedures in early intervention and early childhood special education.

5. Demonstrate knowledge of tests and test development including norm referenced, criterion referenced, authentic assessment, and informal assessments e.g., interviews, observations, and curriculum-based assessments.

6. Identify key considerations in assessing infants, toddlers, preschoolers and young elementary age children.

7. Identify best practice procedures to partner with families in assessing family resources, priorities, and concerns and to gather important contextual and cultural variables that may impact child outcomes.

8. Identify key procedures and protocol for assessing auditory functions, communication, motor skills, cognitive abilities, social competence, play skills, adaptive behavior, and challenging behaviors for a wide variety of children with mild to severe disabilities (e.g., language delayed, cerebral palsy, autism).

9. Identify the key components of environmental assessments.

10. Use assessment information to plan curriculum, instruction, and instructional strategies and to communicate and work effectively in partnership with families and other team members.